Hank Aaron Says He Wouldn't Go to the White House Today If He Won a Championship
Hall of Famer Hank Aaron said he would not go to the White House if he were on a championship-winning team today.
When asked about the subject on Friday at the "Hank Aaron Champion for Justice Awards" in Atlanta, Aaron said he supports athletes not wanting to visit it.
"There’s nobody there I want to see," Aaron told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “I can understand where the players are coming from. I really do. I understand they have their own issues and things they feel conviction about. They have a right to that, and I probably would be the same way, there’s no question about it.”
Aaron's comments come just weeks after the Eagles were disinvited from the White House by President Trump. Shortly after that, LeBron James and Steph Curry stated that they would not attend a White House visit if either of their teams won the NBA Finals. The Warriors were also disinvited from the White House after winning the 2017 title.
Aaron, a 25-time All-Star who hit 755 career home runs, acknowledged the impact athletes can have and said he could have done more during his career.
"To be honest, I feel somewhat guilty that I didn’t do possibly as much as I could have done," Aaron said. "We didn’t get to where we are today because we kept our mouth closed or scratched our head and sat and didn’t do anything. If you have an opinion, then you should voice it and let people know that is your opinion and you’re not speaking for anybody but yourself.”
